Apparatus for conveying and stopping rapidly moving metal sheets



1957 D. BUCCICONE APPARATUS FUR CONVEYING AND STOPPING RAPIDLY MOVING METAL SHEETS Filed Oct. v, 1953 INVENTOR DARIO BUCCICON E, ad/aw ATTORNEY APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND STOPPING RAPIDLY MOVING METAL SHEETS Dario Buccicone, Gary, Ind. Application October 7, 1953, Serial No. 384,655

7 Claims. (Cl. 271-68) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for conveying and stopping rapidly moving metal sheets as they emerge from a processing line.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier copending application Serial No. 230,390, filed June 7, 1951, entitled Apparatus and Method for Piling Metal Sheets, now abandoned.

Modern shear lines for metal sheets are capable of delivering cut sheets at a speed of 1000 feet per min ute or more. However, this capacity is seldom attained because of the inability of subsequent equipment to stop sheets traveling at such speeds and pile them without damage. Prior to my present invention, the usual practice has been to lap successive sheets on each other as they emerge from a high speed line. Magnetic endless belt conveyors support the lapped sheets and carry them to a piler, for example as shown in my Patent No. 2,527,911, dated October 31, 1950. Whenysheets are lapped, they must scrape across each other and thus their surfaces can become damaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved and simplified apparatus for conveying and stopping metal sheets for piling without lapping them.

A further object is to provide an improved conveying apparatus which stops sheets almost instantly at a predetermined location by combined frictional resistance and magnetic braking action and drops them for further disposition without any tendency for sheets to scrape across each other.

A more specific object is to provide an improved apparatus of the foregoing type which employs electromagnets and smooth-faced rigid continuous nonmagnetic skids extending below the magnets and adapted, in conjunction with. the magnets, to stop the sheets.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a conveying apparatus which embodies features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view. of an adaptation r of this apparatus for piling sheets;

Figure 3 is a vertical section online III-I II of Figure 2; and i Figure 4 is a vertical section on line IV--IV of Figure 2. i

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, my conveying apparatus comprises a magnetic rail which is supported adjacent its ends on cross beams 12 and 13 and stands 14 and 15. If desired two or more such rails can be supported side by side on the same beams. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, rail 10 includes a pair of spaced apart side plates 16 and 17 and a unitary bottom member 18, all formed of nonmagnetic material, such as brass. The bottom member has a series of spaced apart downwardly tapered openings 19 along its longitudinal center line and cutouts 20 in each of its side edges. The bottom member supports a plurality of downwardly facingelectromagnets,

nited States Patent ice each of which includes a housing 21, a core. 22 and a winding 23. Said cores carry downwardly tapered pole pieces 24, each of which is received in a different one of the openings 19. The cutouts 20 receive the lower extremities of the housings 21. Each magnet thus is removable and replaceable as a unit without otherwise dismantling the rail.

In accordance with my invention, the underface of the bottom member 18 contains a pair of parallel continuous longitudinal grooves 25 and 26 located on opposite sides of the row of openings 19. Smooth-faced, rigid, continuous, nonmagnetic skids 27 and 28 are seated in said grooves. Examples of suitable materials for said skids are brass, plastic or wood. The preferred fasteningmeans for the skids include backing plates 29 which are fixed to each skid by screws 30. Each backing plate carries a series of upstanding bolts 31 which project through bushings 32 threadedly engaged with the bottom member 18. Above the bushings the bolts carry nuts 33. Preferably the bottom member 18 and skids 27 and 28 are longitudinally curved, as indicated in Figure 2.

A suitable positive mechanism for feeding sheets S is located in advance of the magnetic roll 10. The mechanism illustrated comprises a pair of pinch rolls 34 and 35, at least one of which is power driven, and a belt conveyor 36. This conveyor carries sheets S in non-lapped relation from preceding equipment, such as a flying shear, and may travel quite rapidly, for example 1000 feet per minute. The pinch rolls feed the sheet in dividually from the conveyor 36 to the underside of the skids. The normally energized magnets hold the sheets against the skids. Frictional resistance between the skids and the sheet surfaces in conjunction with the holding eliect of the magnets, retards the sheets so that forward movement of each sheet ceases substantially at the moment its trailing end emerges from the positive bite of the pinch rolls.

The underfaces of the skids 27 and 28 are spaced below the underfaces of the pole pieces 24 and the lower extremities of the housings 21 to :leave an air gap between each sheet S and the magnets. The height of this gap can be adjusted by varying the distance which the skids project below the pole pieces. readily varied by loosening the nuts 33 and turning the bushings 32 upwardly or downwardly. The height of the air gap controls the force the magnets exert on the sheets. This gap is adjusted to furnish a proper holding and retarding effect without clamping the sheets so tightly that they may become damaged. The curvature in the skids maintains sheets in a partially flexed condition and curbs any tendency for the leading edge to gouge into the skids during its passage therealong. The curvature also tends to accelerate separation of thesheet from the skids when the magnets are deenergized.

A normally closed electric switch 37 is mounted for longitudinal adjustment along the top of the rail 10, and has an operating arm 38 which opens the switch when turned counterclockwise. This switch controls the circuit to the electr omagnets. As long as the switch is closed, the magnets are energized'and sheets cling to the undersides of the skids 27 and 28. The arm 38 extends into the path of sheets carried on the undcrsides of the skids. The position of switch 37 is adjusted so that theleading edge of each sheet engages the arm 38 almost as the trailing edge clears the pinch rolls 34 and 35, but it is obvious that the magnets must remain energized until the trailing edge fully clears to enable their attractive force to assist in bringing the sheet to a stop.

A typical application of my conveying apparatus is in piling sheets without lapping them. In this instance a sheet receiving means 39 is mounted below the rail This distance is V and includes a sheet aligner 46 which is adjustable I longitudinally of the rail for adapting the piler for sheets of different lengths.

In operation, sheets S feed rapidly but singly in nonoverlapping sequence from the conveyor 36 to the pinch rolls 34 and 35, which advance them underneath the rail 10. The magnets of course are energized, since the switch 37 is in its normally closed position. As the leading edge of each sheet enters the magnetic field, it is attracted upwardly immediately and frictionally con tacts the undersides of the skids 27 and 28, which adjusted, as already explained, to establish the proper air gap to maintain the sheet in this attracted position throughout its length as it discharges from the pinch rolls. Frictional contact between the sheet and skids and the attractive force of the magnets both oppose forward movement of the sheet, but do not stop such movement as long as the pinch rolls furnish a positive propelling force.

When the entire sheet exits from the pinch rolls, inertia still tends to drive the sheet forward along the skids, but forces opposing such movement very quickly bring the sheet to a complete stop. As already explained, switch 37 is positioned so that the leading end of the sheet engages the arm 38 almost simultaneously with cessation of sheet movement. The switch 38 opens momentarily and deenergizes the magnets, whereupon the sheet drops vertically to the pile on the receiving means 39. The sheet comes to rest with its leading edge against the aligner 4t] and its trailing edge against the inner face of the stand 14. Since the sheet drops without significant forward motion, it does not scrape across the pile and damage the surfaces.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the present invention affords a simplified apparatus for con veying and stopping rapidly moving sheets. The apparatus eliminates the usual sheaves and moving belts and instead embodies only simple fixed continuously extend ing skids and feed mechanism. Use of the apparatus enables sheets to be conveyed rapidly and stopped momentarily for further disposition without damage.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for conveying and stopping rapidly moving sheets of magnetic material comprising a magnetic rail which has a plurality of downwardly facing normally energized electromagnets and a pair of smooth-faced, rigid continuous nonmagnetic downwardly facing skids supported on opposite sides of said magnets, the underfaces of said skids being spaced below said magnets to leave an air gap between said magnets and sheets carried by said skids, positive means for feeding sheets singly to the underside of said skids adjacent one end of said rail, said magnets and said skids being adapted to oppose movement of sheets fed thereto through combined magnetic and frictional forces and to stop the sheets completely ontheir exit from said feeding means, an electric switch controlling the circuit to said magnets and having operating meansin the path of sheets ad- 4 vancing along said skids, said operating means being spaced substantially a sheet length from said feeding means to deenergize the magnets as the sheet stops, and means under said rail for receiving sheets dropped therefrom.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said skids are longitudinally curved.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said skids are supported for vertical adjustment with respect to said magnets to vary the height of said air gap.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said feeding means includes a pair of pinch rolls, at least one of which is power driven.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said sheet receiving means includes a pile stop against which the edges of the sheets are aligned.

6. An apparatus for conveying and stopping rapidly moving sheets of magnetic material comprising an elongated rail which has a nonmagnetic bottom member, means supporting said rail adjacent its ends, said bottom member having a series of spaced apart openings along its longitudinal center line and a pair of longitudinally extending continuous grooves in its underface on opposide sides of said openings, the underface of said bottom member being longitudinally curved, a series of normally energized electromagnets supported on said bottom member and having downwardly facing pole pieces extending through said openings to the underface of said bottom member, a pair of smooth-faced rigid continuous nonmagnetic dowwnardly facing skids seated in said grooves and being curved to conform with the curvature of said bottom member, means fixedly supporting said skids in said grooves with the underfaces of said skids spaced below said magnets to leave an air gap between said magnets and sheets carried by said skids, positive means for feeding sheets singly to the underside of said skids adjacent one end of said rail, said magnets and said skids being adapted to oppose movement of sheets fed thereto through combined magnetic and frictional forces and to stop the sheets completely on their exit from said feeding means, an electric switch controlling the circuit to said'rnagnets and having operating means in the path of sheets advancing along said skids, said operating means being spaced substantially a sheet length from said feeding means to deenergize the magnets as the sheet stops, and means under said rail for receiving sheets dropped therefrom.

'7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the supporting means for said skids includes a series of upstanding bolts fixed ther'eto, bushings threadedly engaged with said bottom member and receiving said bolts, and nuts on the upper ends of said bolts, said bushings being adjustable with respect to said bottom member to vary the height of said air gap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS Buccicone Oct. 30, 1950 

